EL 336: Havelock (19-26)

Whew, what a wordy, but fulfilling read. It definitely took a while to get through, but I like how all of the readings are somehow connected to one another whether by mention of another piece we've read or an author we've discussed thus far.

With that said my agenda item comes from page 24, the first page of chapter 3:

"What happens to the structure of a spoken language when it becomes a written artifact? Does anything happen? From this, one can proceed to the philosophical (or psychological) level and ask: Is oral communication the instrument of an oral state of mind, a type of consciousness quite different from the literate state of mind?"

Personally I'm more occupied with the second question. For me, my literate state of mind is indeed quite different from my oral state of mind, speaking in terms of communication. When I speak in the classroom or among people whom I don't consider family or close friends I often feel heightened levels of anxiety and loss of assurance. I especially notice this in the classroom. I often wonder if I effectively communicate the points I'm trying to make orally.

On the other hand, when I communicate via e-mail or instant messenger, or even notes I'm leaving for my father in the morning, I feel confident that I'm communicating successfully. By successfully I mean, clearly and intelligently. I'm the kind of person who will write a letter to somebody when an argument occurs rather than attempting to talk to them. I text message at least the entire 160 character limit each time, without fail. I prefer text messaging to phone calls as well.

I feel like my persona differs dramatically from when I communicate orally to when I communicate in any form of text. Sometimes I wonder what a person thinks after speaking to me if their initial correspondence with me was via e-mail. This happens more frequently than you'd think-- with interview and meeting times, etc. After I hit send on an e-mail I've just written, no questions linger in my head or butterflies in my stomach, wondering if the person I've just sent the message to will receive it with the same intent I had in writing it. This is much different than when I give a presentation or participate in class, for example.